It's Windy !

Inner Farne - 04.07.2025

To finish up on the blog post on the recent Farne’s Islands trip. 

I’m back on Inner Farne although the star species on Inner Farne are the puffins the other major attraction you’ll encounter are Arctic Terns, but it’s easy to overlook other stuff rushing about in the brief one hour slot. I’ve manage a second trip so hopefully I can catch up with the other less common species missed first time round.

At the jetty area a Ringed Plover has set up territory, it’s giving the tern chicks a hard time relentlessly attacking any that ventures near it’s nest, it landing on rocks quite close but slightly obscured by a rope, I don't want to move and flush it and I rattle off a few shots, time to move on and spend some time with the terns.

As I walk up the track a pipit calls and lands on a post...it's a Rock Pipit, a few pairs I'm told breed close by. It only stays a few seconds but it's facing in the other direction, I'm holding off pressing the shutter button and then it turns...boom !

This year the Arctic Terns are mainly located only around the church buildings, sitting on walls they are very vocal adding to the the cacophony of noise, just keep your wits about you avoiding the arial attack, oh and the “white stuff”

The wind’s up today much stronger than yesterday so much that I’ve had to remove the lens hood to keep the lens from swing about. After more of the same shots I'm finishing off in the last remaining minuets with the puffins. And that’s it....time over and back to the boat.

See you next year.

Ringed Plover

Rock Pipit

Arctic Tern

Atlantic Puffin

Grey Seal

Quick Break

Murcia - 16.1.20

It's been a while since I last posted on the blog with all the travel over the last few weeks including a short break in Murcia, not so much for photography but just some sun to break up the grey weather back in the UK.

Anyway not a big post just a few images from the week including unexpectedly BirdGuides "Picture Of The Week" of a flight White Wagtail taken not long after arriving at the Clot de Galvany seen below.

You can see the news article by clicking the following link....https://www.birdguides.com/articles/photo-of-the-week-22-28-january/

Update..27-11-20. I just been informed that the image of the White Wagtail has gone the readers vote to be included as feature image for January in Birdwatch Magazine's 2021 calendar. Thank you BirdGuides/Birdwatch magazine 

White Wagtail

Image was taken at the Clot de Galvany not to long after arriving at Alicante Airport which is around six miles away so easily worth a visit before heading south on the AP7 motorway.

Slender-billed Gull

These two images were taken at Los Urrutias which until recently was a great location to get near wading birds in the car, unfortunately after the recent floods just before Xmas the ground is so soft its not even accessible to walk without getting completely covered in mud.

Stonechat

One of my regular birds and locations being so close to the accommodation.

Little Ringed Plover

Salinas San Pedro another location I visit quite a lot, sometimes quiet sometime not but always a great winter sunshine walk along the beach at Torre Derribada.

Coot

Back at the Clot de Gavany in some great afternoon sunlight.

White-headed Duck

I was rather disappointed with this shot as I hadn't seen Whited-headed Duck for some time, a spur of the moment afternoon visit to Lo Monte Ponds, in the afternoon the sun is bang in your face !

Chiffchaff

Absolutely loads of these summer migrants to the UK around the area which winter in Murcia

Red-legged Partridge 

Another regular bird near the accommodation taken at Lo Romero Golf

The Road To San Felipe

19th April - San Felipe & Vistabella Road

It's El Hondo today starting off at the visitor centre at San Felipe then moving on to the public hides on the Vistabella Road. It's an early start and still dark as I drive up the AP7 Motorway arriving at 8.15 am, as I'm leaving the centre carpark I spot a pair of Little Ringed Plover on the gravel area adjacent to the carpark, last year a pair bred behind the roped area quite close, may be the same pair?

I position myself just behind a hedge with the birds sat on a gravel ridge with some tamarisk bushes as a back drop in the distance, it's a clean shot and I take advantage of the opportunity that not often presents itself. Occasionally Rabbits dive out of the tamarisk bushes with the females being chased by males, I move on.

Click image to view

Little Ringed Plover

European Rabbit

Near the reserve centre building Great Reed Warblers are in full chatters telling other males....."this is my territory keep out". I get some images but you need luck to get a clean shot and avoid including the ever present mass of tangle reeds or branches in the image.

Great Reed Warbler

Moving round to the board walk stopping at the covered platform where the Spotted Crake was seen a few days back I meet up with a couple of resident brit birders, it's always good to exchange conversation in the morning sunshine. But it's cameras to the right in the mornings due to the light angle and I manage some images of Whiskered Tern and a lone male Widgeon which I'm told is unusual for this location.

The rest of the visit is mainly the usual resident species, Marbled Teal, Red Crested Pochard, Gallinule and a fair number of Pratincoles wheeling and screeching overhead, a few long range waders, including Kentish Plover, Little Stint and Curlew Sandpipers some of which are changing into their red summer plumage.

Time to move on to Vistabella Road.

Whiskered Tern in transition to summer plumage

Vistabbella Road hides are located about seven miles distance on the opposite side of El Hondo Reserve, it's an easy drive with straight traffic free country roads. Parking up at the usual location next to the slice bridge that separates the road and the reeds it's a long walk to the second hide my preferred location as the hide is positioned lower to the water making for better images. But a word of caution to visitors, the last hundred meters is on a raised walkway, about 400mm wide, and in summer about one meter above the water, so if your nervous and have expensive camera gear....take care !

Black Neck Grebe cruise passed some with this years young in tow, a couple off White Headed Duck dive in front of the hide and Greater Flamingos are ever present in large numbers. A couple more shots of Red Crested Pochard and I make my way back to the car calling at the first hide to check any other image possibilities.

Black Necked Grebe

Black Neck Grebe - juvenile

Red Crested Pochard - male

It's 4.0 pm and the wind has increased, my preferred flat calm water has long gone so I decide to call it a day. Theres always another day in the sunshine.

It's Local Again Today

18th April - Salinas de San Pedro

I've decided not to venture to far today with just a morning visit to the salinas on another sunny morning. It's 8.0 am and I set up in my favourite wader spot but it's quiet, in fact it's been quiet since my arrival with only a few wader photo opportunities but you never know what may turn up.

After an hour with litter activity I decide to move on and try my other favoured location but not quite having the same ideal light angle early morning. A quick scan I pick up a Greenshank a new bird for this visit and a couple of Redshank, with little other activity I decide to move on.

I'm now at the mid point in the salinas and for a change just do some birding, Gull Billed Turns "quack" over head and a single Common Tern sits resting on a stump in the water, out in the middle of the salinas Black Necked Grebes are now sporting their finest summer plumage never close enough for an image, on my way back I decide to give one final look my number one wader location before moving on to another location.

A Ruff and a Redshank are feeding at the waters edge in good light so I decide to see if I can get some images. No sooner than I'm in position the Little Ringed Plover drops in which is unexpected bonus and grab some shots. The Ruff and Redshanks are still present along with the ever present Black Winged Stilt, it's just a case of waiting for opportunity when the birds come closer.

This is also the location is also where a pair of Kentish Plover have set up territory, periodically the sitting male or the female will take a rest from incubation duties and feed along the waters edge giving some good photo opps

It's been slow photo ops wise over the last couple of days which is a little disappointing, so tomorrow I'm going to try something completely different.

Click image to view

Black Winged Stilt

Ruff

Kentish Plover

Little Ringed Plover

Shelduck